Apple held a media event today to announce the new iPhone OS 3.0 firmware update. The new software adds many new features to the iPhone including:
- Copy and Paste - at last! Speaks for itself.
- Bluetooth Stereo (presumably A2DP) - allowing you to stream high quality audio between devices. This will be great for in car audio systems, no dongles required!
- Bluetooth P2P - uses bonjour to automatically discover nearby phones, allowing peer-to-peer applications and (hopefully) file transfers.
- Spotlight Search - search across mail, calendar and other 3rd party applications.
- Tethering - allows the phone to be used as a modem for your laptop other computers.
- Messages App - can now forward and delete individual messages. Supports MMS, and can send and receive files and contact cards.
- Push Notifications - allows the phone to receive notifications over the air from a 3rd party's server - e.g. useful for instant messaging.
- Voice Memos - record audio notes.
- Landscape Keyboard - rotated keyboard now works with most built-in apps.
- Turn by Turn Directions - spoken directions available as part of the core location API.
- 3rd Party Accessories - better support for interfacing with 3rd party accessories via bluetooth and the dock connector. The iPhone could be used to control other hardware.
- In-App Purchases - extra content maybe purchased from within an app, e.g. e-books for a reader app (kindle), or extra levels for a game.
That's pretty much everything I could have wanted in the new firmware - and more! The only extra thing I will be looking for in the next hardware version is video calling.